PDF - Educating for a video game culture - vol 2 - Keep on playing, keep on growing (2026)

What if video games were much more than just entertainment—true laboratories where the citizens of tomorrow are shaped?

Video games are no longer marginal pastimes. They are a cultural, economic and social phenomenon that is able to shape how people learn, connect and participate in society. As billions engage with games daily – whether for entertainment, education or creative expression – understanding their implications for democratic life and human rights has become an urgent priority.

This volume, the second in the Council of Europe’s Digital Citizenship Education series, builds on Educating for a video game culture – A map for teachers and parents (2021). While the first volume provided accessible guidance for parents and educators, this second volume seeks to deepen the discussion. It gathers leading international researchers to examine how video games intersect with the 10 domains of Digital Citizenship Education, from well-being, creativity and sustainability to gender, migration, civic engagement, consumer awareness and gaming disorder.

Across its chapters, the book reveals video games as powerful environments where democratic values, rights and responsibilities are continuously negotiated. It highlights opportunities for learning and participation, but also challenges educators, policy makers and the industry to address risks, inequalities and ethical dilemmas.

Accessible to researchers, practitioners, decision makers and adults with educational roles, this volume demonstrates why games matter for the future of education and citizenship in a digital society. It invites readers to move beyond stereotypes and recognise video games as laboratories for creativity, empathy and democratic engagement – central arenas where the citizens of tomorrow are already being formed.